Thank you very much for that question, Mr. Chair.
Yes, a 4.4% francophone immigration target was set for outside Quebec in 2003, with the cooperation of community stakeholders, as I indicated in my remarks.
I would just emphasize that the target is supposed to be reached by the end of 2023 and that this is only 2022. So we have 18 more months in which to hit it. Developments in the COVID‑19 situation have had an impact on the number of francophone admissions and on the percentage of those immigrants, since most applicants come from outside Canada. However, we've already put several measures in place to meet our target.
We've taken many initiatives, such as awarding additional points to francophone and bilingual applicants under the express entry system. French-speaking residents admitted to Canada through the express entry system represented 43% of all francophones outside Quebec from January to December 2021.
In 2021, the department also introduced components for francophone and bilingual candidates under the temporary resident to permanent resident pathway program for essential workers and students…